European Prosecutors Open a Verification Process into 17 PJ Contracts With a Barcelos Firm Signed Under Now-Minister Luís Neves

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (Procuradoria Europeia, or EPPO) has opened a "verification process" into 17 contracts that the Polícia Judiciária (Judicial Police, or PJ) awarded to a Barcelos construction firm while the force was led by Luís Neves — now Portugal's Minister of Internal Administration (Ministro da Administração Interna). The move, first reported by CNN Portugal and confirmed by public broadcaster RTP, drags a domestic political controversy into the orbit of an EU body whose sole job is to prosecute crimes against the Union's finances.

What brought Brussels-appointed prosecutors into the picture is where the money came from. The contracts between the PJ and Construbarcelos were financed in part through European funds, specifically the Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (Recovery and Resilience Plan, or PRR) — the post-pandemic package the EPPO is mandated to protect. The firm is reported to have received roughly €2.3 million from the police across the 17 deals, placing it at the very top of the PJ's list of building contractors.

How a home renovation became a national affair

The case has been building through July. It began with reporting that Neves, during his years as national director of the PJ, had engaged a contractor connected to the same construction group for private works at his own home, including a swimming pool. That overlap — a public-tender supplier to the police also doing personal jobs for the man who ran it — is what turned an internal procurement question into a full-blown political storm, one the opposition has used to press the government over standards in public office.

Neves has denied wrongdoing and insists the private and public work were entirely separate. But the numbers kept the story alive: a single Barcelos businessman tied to his personal renovations turned out to sit atop the PJ's contract ledger, prompting scrutiny of how those 17 awards were tendered and whether EU-funded procurement rules were respected.

The EPPO's involvement raises the stakes considerably. A "verification process" is a preliminary step — it is not yet a formal criminal investigation and implies no charge — but it signals that European prosecutors think the file is worth examining. The current PJ leadership has been told of the diligences, and reporting indicates the force's director, Carlos Cabreiro, has been called in to meet the European prosecutors.

What This Means for Expats

• Who is being scrutinised: The minister who oversees Portugal's internal security, borders and civil protection — the ministry whose remit touches immigration enforcement and public order. A cloud over the office is a governance story worth following.
• Why the EU is involved: The EPPO only acts where EU money is at stake. Its interest here is a reminder that PRR-funded contracts carry an extra layer of oversight that reaches beyond national courts.
• No verdict yet: A verification process is an early inquiry, not an accusation. Treat headlines accordingly and watch whether it escalates to a formal investigation.
• Political weather: If the pressure mounts, a cabinet reshuffle is not out of the question — the kind of instability that can slow decisions on immigration and security policy that affect foreign residents.

For now, the government is standing behind its minister, and the PJ says it is cooperating. Whether the EPPO's checks stay a quiet paperwork exercise or harden into something more will likely determine how long Luís Neves keeps the internal-affairs portfolio.